COVENTRY

COVENTRY

At Shearwater, we always wore mufti off-duty. To save time, we rarely used the main gate, preferring a convenient hole in the fence that led straight to the bus stop.

One night, I was grabbing a drink at the Sea Horse Tavern in Halifax when I met a "Semi." an American sailor. After a few draughts, we realized we were running low on cash, so we pooled our change, hit the liquor store, and bought a gallon of Golden Glow apple cider. We finished it off sitting on Citadel Hill. After that, the night goes blank; I have no idea how or when I made it back to the base.

I woke up the next morning in my four-man cabin in a total shambles. I was nursing the worst hangover of my life and realized I’d been sick in my sleep—red vomit was everywhere. My roommates were, understandably, aghast. Panicked, I wrapped the ruined sheets around me and bolted for the showers. I scrubbed them as best I could and remade the bed with the wet linens, thankful that the coverlet had fallen to the floor and stayed clean. By noon, I managed to swap them for fresh ones at the laundry and thought I was in the clear.

I wasn’t. My Petty Officer informed me I was on charge: 15 days of "number fives" and 30 days of "stoppers." It turned out one of my cabin mates had squealed.

That was a big mistake on his part. The ranks sent him to Coventry. After a month of nobody uttering a single word to him. It drove him to the brink; he eventually broke down in tears, begging for my forgiveness. I did forgive him, and slowly, we let him back into the ranks. That was the navy.

I still can not drink apple cider lol.